Paper-feeding mechanism.



PATENTED MAY'IO, 1904.

J. s. DUNCAN. PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1903.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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No. 759,250. PATEN-TED MAY 10, 1904. J. S. DUNCAN.

PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. mos.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ADDRESSO- GRAPHCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PAPER-FEEDING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,250, dated May 10,1904.

Application filed March 21, 1903.

To all LUII/OTH/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OSEPH S. DUNCAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chi cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Feeding Mechanism,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to paper feeding mechanism particularly adaptedfor addressing-machines of the type shown in Letters Patent N o. 57 9,706, dated March 30, 1897, and also in my application, Serial No.148,901, filed concurrently herewith.

The object of the invention is to. provide means for properly feeding asheet of paper to receive successive impressions from the printing-formsused in connection with an addressing-machine.

Further objects of the invention relate to the provision of simple meansfor automatically operating the feeding devices, so that paper ofdifferent thicknesses will be properl y provided for and fed and so thatthe printing impressions may be spaced apart at such intervals as may bedesired.

I have chosen to illustrate the invention as constructed and arrangedfor operation on an addressing-machine like that illustrated in myconcurrent application, Serial No. 148,901; but it will be understoodthat the invention may be used with other machines with equallysatisfactory results.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of anaddressing-machine with the feeding attachment thereon. Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the feeding attachment disconnected from the machine. Fig.3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a frontelevation of the feeding attachment, showing also the gooseneck form ofthe platenarm. Figs. 5 and 6 show the clutch mechanism for operating thefeed-rollers in open and locked positions, respectively.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals of reference designatecorresponding parts in the several figures, Fig. 1 is a duplicate of thecorresponding figure of my concurrent application, Serial N 0. lt8,901,and reference to said application is made for a detailed description ofthe construction and op- Serial Na 148,900- (No model.)

eration of the machine. So far as this invention is concerned it willonly be necessary to explain that a chain of printing-forms 32 issupported on a revoluble drum 36, which is fed step by step by thefeeding-dog 55, carried on an arm 56, rigid with the arm 20, carryingthe platen 107 and pivotally mounted on a shaft 21. The envelop or othermaterial to be printed upon is placed in position upon a plate 76, whichfor convenience is designated the envelop-plate, and this envelop-plateis pivoted on a fixed stud 77 and a springpressed stud 78. The machineis operated by reciprocating the pedal-lever 27, provided With afoot-rest 31 and connected with the platenarm and communicating propermovements to all the operative parts of the machine. The paper-feedingattachment is fastened to the envelop-plate, and for purposes ofconvenience each machine may be provided with two envelop-plates, onefor ordinary use and the other having the feeding attachment permanentlysecured thereto, for it will be understood that the envelop-plate isreadily removable from the machine by withdrawing the spring-pressedstud 78. I prefer also when constructing a machine with which thepaperfeeding attachment is to be used to provide the platen-arm with agooseneck 20, Fig. 4, to allow for the passage of a wide sheet of paperthrough the machine.

The paper-feeding attachment comprises a frame which has an upper member7 and a lower member 7 and a yoke member 7", the members 7 and 7 beingin the form of arms connected to the yoke member and projectingoutwardly therefrom and a suflicient distance apart to permit the paperto be fed between them. The frame may be permanently connected with theenvelop-plate 76 or it may be fastened thereto by clamps 8, so as to bereadily removable. Feed-rollers 9 are carried by a shaft 10, which ismounted in bearings in the arms 11, projecting forward from the uppermember 7 of the frame, and these rollers are arranged above thepresser-rollers 12, which are carried by the frames 13, pivotallymounted on the rod 14, which is supported in the guide-teeth 15,projecting forward from the lower member 7 of the frame and at the 'ofthe attachment at 39.

sides of the presser-roller frames. The frame carrying eachpresser-roller is preferably of skeleton form, as shown in Figs. 2 and3, and the presser-roller is held up to its work by a plate-spring 16,fulcrumed on a cross-bar 17 at the rear end of the presser-frame andback of its pivot, with its forward end engaged beneath the rod 14 andits rear end adjustably fastened by a screw 18 to the lower member 7 ofthe frame. It is apparent, therefore, that the tension of theplate-spring may be readily adjusted by the screw 18, according to thethickness of the paper to be fed, so that the rollers 12 will hold it upin operative engagement with the feed-rollers, but not so tight as totear or mar the paper or blur the impressions thereon. Thepresser-rollers may be temporarily carried a sufficient distance awayfrom the feed-rollers to permit the insertion of the paper therebetweenby operating the shaft 19, which is provided with a crank-handle 22 andhas bearings in the guideteeth 15. This crank-shaft is preferably roundthroughout its length, except at those portions which pass beneath thepresser-frames, where it is provided with a fiat upper face 28 to engagethe fiat under face 24 of the crossbar 17. By this arrangement the shaft19 operates as a lever against the presser-frames to force the rear endthereof up and the forward end, carrying the rollers 12, down away fromthe feeding-rollers. l/Vhen the crank is released, the shaft will returnto its normal position. The feed-roller shaft is revolved a limiteddistance intermittently by means of a friction-clutch mechanism operatedsimultaneously with the platen. The friction-clutch is shown in its openposition in Fig. 5 and in its locked position in Fig. 6 and in itsnormal position at rest in Fig. 1. It comprises a friction-band arrangedto operate on a roller 25, mounted on the shaft 10, and is composed ofthe band members 26 and 28, which are pivotally connected at 29. Themembers are held in place on the roller by a yoke 30, pivotallyconnected with the member 26 at 33 and pivotally connected at its otherend to a fulcrumlever 34, which is arranged eccentric to said yoke andprovided with a knife-edge fulcrum 35, working in a socket 36 on themember 28. The fulcrum-lever 34 is connected by a link 37 with acrank-lever 38, pivoted on the frame A spring 40 is attached to thelower end of the crank-lever and to the frame of the attachment andoperates to hold the crank-lever up, as shown in Fig. 1, with the clutchin locked position. The crank-lever is operated by a post 41, which isscrew-threaded and adjustable vertically in a bracket-arm 42 on theplaten-arm, the arrangement being such that when the platenarm isdepressed the post will engage and swing the crank-lever 38 on itspivot. As the crank-lever swings downward the fulcrumlever 34 will beslightly swung on its pivot to open the friction-band, so that it canturn freely on the roller 25 to the position shown in Fig. 5, when theplaten is at the downward limit of its movement. Thereupon the platenarmstarts to rise, and the pressure being removed from the crank-lever thefulcrum-lever will be swung back to the position shown in Fig. 6 toclamp the band members rigidly on the roller to turn the feed-rollers asthe platen is moving to its elevated position at rest. The clutch istherefore released during the downward movement of the platen and duringthe printing operation, and the paper is not moved; but immediatelyafter the printing operation and while the platen is resuming itsinitial position the feed-rollers are operated to adjust the paper. Forthe purpose of preventing any accidental movement of the feed-rollers ina reverse direction I prefer to provide a clamping-jaw 43, which isfastened to the attachment-frame and has its end carried around and overthe feed-roller shaft and held by the tension of a spring 44, mounted ona screw-bolt 45, passing through said end into the body of the arm. Thisspring-clamp will produce sufficient braking power on the shaft toprevent it from moving in a reverse direction, which would have atendency to disarrange and probably tear the paper.

My invention is particularly useful for the purpose of striking off alist of names and addresses from a chain of printing-forms for variouspurposes. This list can be kept for reference purposes, for pay-rolls,time-cards, and for many other purposes. It is for this reason desirableto provide a line adjustment, so that the printing impressions may beregulated to correspond with ruled lines and spaced apart in anyldesiredmanner. For this purpose the threaded post 41 is splined to thebracket-arm, so as not to turn, and is provided with a nut 46, operatingbeneath a scale-plate 47 and carries on its upper end an index-pointer48. This nut is provided on its upper face with a scale, and beneath thebracket-arm I provide the post with a lock-nut 49. In practice I haveprovided the post with twenty-seven threads to the inch and divided thetop face of the nut into twenty-four divisions, so that I may easilyadjust the post one twenty-fourth of a twenty-seventh of an inch. Afterthe nut is once set the locking-nut may be turned to make the adjustmentpermanent.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing discription that theattachment can be used with machines of the character shown in myconcurrent application Serial No. 148,901 whether or not they are of thesame construction, and it will therefore not be understood that I limitthe present invention in any way to the machine illustrated in Fig. 1.The feeding attachment operates automatically, and a list of impressionscan be taken from a chain of printing-forms rapidly and used for avariety of purposes. As before stated, it has been found very useful tomake up a chain of forms bearing the names of employees in largeestablishments and running off a list therefrom for pay-rolls and. forchecking purposes, and it is obvious that such lists would be useful formany other purposes which it is not necessary here to explain. Theattachment is constructed so that it will operate properly with light orcomparatively heavy paper and. with the im pressions spaced in anymanner desired, and the adjustments can be made easily and quickly tochange from paper of one thickness to another and to space theimpressions in a different way. In the embodiment of the inventionherein shown and described the motion is communicated to the feedingdevices from the platen-arm of the machine, and while this is thedesirable construction I do not limit the invention specificallythereto. The two members 7 7 of the attachment-frame are not connectedat their outer ends, so that paper considerably wider than the length ofthese members can be operated upon and fed through the attachment, whichenables the printing to be done on large sheets of paper for temporaryor permanent records. As before stated, the attachment maybe madeentirely separate from any of the parts of the add ressing-machine or itmay be permanently attached to the envelop-plate, in which case anotherenvelop-plate would preferably be provided for use when simply printingenvelops. it is apparent also that the attachment can be constructed andadjusted on the envelo 'i-plate to form a gage and guide for theoperator in positioning the envelop on the plate, in which case it wouldnot be necessary for the attachment to operate, and the post 41 couldtherefore be adjusted out of operative relation to the actuating-lever38 and the envelops arranged on the plate against the attachment. Thethreaded post 41 and nut 46 provide for a very fine adjustment of thefeeding movement, and the scales on the nut and the plate 47 enable theadjustment to be readily made or changed. By noting the position of theindicator when adjustments are made for certain lengths of feed tocorrespond to certain rulings, for example, changes in the adjustmentcan be very readily and quickly made without necessitating any trials.

\Vithout limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement ofparts herein shown and described, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. A )aper-feeding attachment for add ressing-machines comprising aframe, a shaft, feedrollers on the shaft, a friction-clutch comprising aroller mounted on the shaft, a band to frictionally engage said roller,and means for operating said clutch to intermittently revolve the shafta limited distance.

2. A feeding attachment for addressing-machines comprising a frame, ashaft, feed-rollers on the shaft, a frictionclutch comprising a rollermounted on the shaft, an expansible band to frictionally engage saidroller, and means for opening and adjusting and then locking said bandand operating the same to intermittently revolve the shaft a limiteddistance.

3. A feeding attachment for addressing-machines comprising a frame, ashaft, feed-rollers on the shaft, a frictionclutch comprising anexpansible frictional band, and means for intermittently locking theband to and operating the shaft.

4. A feeding attachment for addressing-machines comprising a frame, ashaft, feed-rollers on the shaft, a friction-clutch comprising afriction-band, a lever, and means for operating the lever to open andadjust the band in a reverse direction to the movement of the shaft andthen lock the band with the shaft and turn the latter to operate thefeed-rollers.

5. A feeding attachment for add ressing-machines comprising a frame, ashaft, feed-rollers on the shaft, a roller rigid on the shaft, afriction-band on said roller and comprising two members pivotedtogether, a yoke pivoted to one member, a fulcrum-lever carried by saidyoke and fulcrumed against the other member, and means for operatingsaid fulcrumlever to open and lock the band on said roller.

6. A feeding attachment for addressing-1nachines comprising a shaftcarrying feed-rollers, a roller on said shaft, a friction-band operatingon said roller and comprising two pivoted members, a yoke pivoted to theend of one member, a fulcrum-lever carried by the yoke and having aknife-edge fulcrum engagement against the other member, anactuating-lever connected with said fulcrum-lever, and means foroperating said actuating-lever to shift the fulcrum-lever to open theband and move it a limited distance around its roller and then lock theband on said roller to turn said shaft a limited distance.

7. A feeding attachment for add ressing-machines, comprisinga mainframe,parallel feed, rollers supported on the frame, a presserframepivotally mounted on the main frame and projecting beneath each feedroller, presser-rollers carried by said presser-frames adjacent to thefeed-rollers, and plate-springs operating on said frames to carry saidpresserrollers with the paper thereon into operating engagement with thefeed-rollers.

8. A feeding attachment for addressing-machines comprising a main frame,feed-rollers supported on the frame, a rod carried by the frame,presscr-frames pivoted on said rod beneath the feed-rollers, rollerscarried by the presser-frames, and a spring-plate fastened to the mainframe and passing over the rear ends of each presser-frame and undersaid rod to carry the rollers on the presser-frames up to thefeed-rollers.

9. A feeding attachment for add ressi ng-machines comprising a mainframe, guide tceth, feeding-rollers and means for operating them,presser-frames pivotally mounted beneath the feed rollers and betweenthe guide teeth, springs operating on the rear ends of saidpresser-frames, and a rock-shaft constructed to operate on thepresser-frames in opposition to the tension of said springs.

10. A feeding attachment for addressingmachines comprising a frame andfeed-rollers supported on the frame, in combination with the oscillatingplaten-arm of the addressingmachine,a friction-band,and means carried bysaid arm for operating said friction-band and communicating anintermittent movement to the feed-rollers.

11-. A feeding attachment for addressingmachines comprising a frame,feed-rollers supported on the frame, presser means for holding the paperin contact With the feed-rollers, in combination with the oscillatingplatenarm of the addressing machine, a frictionband, and means carriedby said arm for operating said friction-band and communicating anintermittent movement to the feed-rollers.

12. A feeding attachment for addressing machines comprising a frame,feed-rollers, a friction-band for operating said rollers, in combinationwith the oscillating platen-arm of the addressing-machine, and apostcarried by said arm to actuate said friction-band.

13. A feeding attachment for addressingmachines comprising a frame,feed-rollers and means for operating them comprising, anactuating-leverand a friction-band, in combination with the oscillating platen-arm ofthe addressing-machine, and a post carried by said platen-arm andarranged to engage and oper ate said lever.

14. A feeding attachment for addressingmachines comprising a frame,feed-rollers and means for operating them comprising an actuating-lever,in combination with the oscil lating platen-arm of theaddressing-machine, and a post angularly arranged on the platenarm toengage and operate said lever.

15. A feeding attachment for addressing machines comprising a frame,feed-rollers on the frame, and means for operating said feedrollers, incombination with the oscillating platen arm of the addressing machine, abracket on said arm, a post having threaded engagement with the bracketand arranged to actuate said operating means, a scale adjacent to thepost, a nut operating on the post heneath the scale and above thebracket,and provided on its upper face with a peripheral scale, and apointer carried by the post.

JOSEPH S. DUNCAN.

Vitnesses:

WVM. O. BELT, HELEN L. BECK.

